


The McSweeten Badges Job

by VoyageBoots



Category: Leverage
Genre: Gen, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-01-08
Packaged: 2018-03-06 18:33:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3144320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoyageBoots/pseuds/VoyageBoots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Parker and Hardison get real FBI badges because it has been years and the FBI is convinced they are real agents.</p>
<p>For randomthingsthatilike123 on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The McSweeten Badges Job

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a tumblr drabble, hoping to clean up someday.

Cyber crimes is the fastest growing department of the FBI. Ethics hasn’t even caught up with evaluating how they occur, let alone how they should be prevented so its of very little surprise to the Bureau that well over a quarter of the budget goes into software development and various other tasks. “Age of the geek” the last inter-departmental budget meeting had termed it. Encrypted badges are just the latest in password management strategies, allowing access to restricted areas as well as computer servers. So really, no one is surprised when the cyber division catches a hack into the what was thought to be well encrypted badge files.

It’s unclear how far the hacker got, they were covering their tracks either on their way in or on their way out with the data - so the entire FBI can no longer trust their badges. Most were due for renewal soon anyway and with much grumbling a task force is formed for the issue of new clearances and rolling over the old encryption, hopefully without losing any data. McSweeten’s haphazard luck that has made his career has stranded him and he finds himself appointed to the task force. If he never has to listen to cybercrimes drone on again it will be too soon. He’s reviewing the lists one boring afternoon meeting - a complicated feat in itself as various details are classified even internally about FBI actions - when he realizes he hasn’t seen Hagen or Thomas’s name on the lists. McSweeten knows the rules exist for reasons so he starts the arduous process of asking around. There is a tally number of agents in deep covers that need new ID but cannot be named, however rumor has it that particular number is low estimated to further protect those agents missions. His superiors aren’t swayed at first, likely sticking to their official line of “we have no record of any agent by that name” but McSweeten’s known Hagen and Thomas for five years now, and as a member of the task force its easy enough to find others who remember them - Hagen is particularly memorable. 

"Well, if they are scrubbed from the old servers due to deep cover, we can just re-register them to the rolls" cybergeek #4 points out - "then we don’t need to wait on higher up approval, or whatever has them sticking to that ridiculous ‘we have no record line’ " rolling his eyes. 

"What all would that require?" McSweeten asks, but he’s already sold on the idea, Hagen and Thomas have saved him so many times he owes them more than one. 

"Nothing much, next time they can slip away have them come in and do new photos, retinal and fingerprint scans and then we’ll re-issue" the geek explains, and really McSweeten should probably learn his name now. 

Thomas had left a “just in case”, “off the records”, sort of number with McSweeten awhile back. McSweeten keeps it with his own badge. Thomas seems confused at first, but agrees to come into the Hoover building and sets a time for later in the week.

Hagen and Thomas show up right on time, arguing with a larger man and gesturing at the building but he walks off before McSweeten is in earshot. “Well then?” Thomas asks and they proceed. Security waves them through, McSweeten’s quest to get their new badges spread like the rumor mill the 3rd most secretive government institution really is, everyone knows the two agents are off the building lists currently due to some weird effect of being scrubbed for deep cover. It takes under an hour, Hagen grinning widely for her photo, to get them into the system with little fuss. Thomas almost chokes on his substandard office coffee when the IT minion handing over their new badges declares “Age of the geek!” ( their battlecry ever since that budget meeting they took 1/4 the budget as one of 20 departments). Hagen just laughs and kisses McSweeten on the cheek.


End file.
